“They are beating us, shooting at us and hacking our people to death,” one refugee says.
Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters
Police in Bangladesh have reportedly begun ignoring government orders to stop the influx of Rohingyas fleeing violence in Myanmar, as the United Nations confirmed that 58,600 refugees have made it through the border crossing since violence erupted last week. Human rights groups say Myanmar's security forces have launched a violent campaign against the country’s minority Rohingya Muslim community in Rakhine State after a Rohingya militant group attacked a police post. Nearly 400 people have died in the ensuing violence, with thousands of homes burned down and civilians attacked by security forces. “They are beating us, shooting at us and hacking our people to death,” one refugee, Hamida Begum, told CNN. “Many people were killed. Many women were raped and killed,” she said. The violence has prompted condemnation from the UN, which has called on Myanmar forces to use restraint. The World Food Program on Saturday also announced it would be suspending food aid in the area amid the deteriorating situation.
